Adjustable measuring cup



June 20, 1939. c. R. ouELLE'l-TE ADJSTABLE MEASURING CUP Filed oct. 1956 IN V EN TOR.

2./ C df/es /Fymand Oue//efe di g. v

ATTORNEYS'.

Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE MEASURING CUP Charles Raymond Ouellette, Seattle, Wash.

Application October 23, 1936, Serial No. 107,248

5 Claims.

a kitchen implement of this character.

It is a further object to provide an arrangement which operates in a more effective manner than measuring cups heretofore developed, and particularly to provide a measuring cup from which the measured contents may be ejected by the simple expedient of squeezing co-active means constituting the handle by which the vessel is held.

Other particular objects of the invention will appear in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consisting in the novel construction, adaptation, and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken diametrically through a measuring cup formed according to the now preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an underside plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing I designate by the numeral 5 the vessel which is used as the measuring body, said vessel being formed desirably to a cylindrical contour with the two ends open, and being provided at the lower end with a reinforcing member of strap iron which additionally acts as a guide for the slide movement of plunger-operating rods. Said reinforcing member is formed to a substantial rectangular shape in side elevation to provide parallel side branches 6 and 1 and parallel horizontal branches 8 and 9, the former being riveted or otherwise secured to the walls of the vessel to locate the horizontal branches .dametrically of the vessel and spaced sufficiently to permit the introduction of the operators fingers under the outer branch 8.

To facilitate such introduction of the fingers, the opposite sides of the vessel laterally of the branch 8 are cut away as indicated.

noted by II and I2.

Being formed from a single (Cl. 'f3-165) member bent to a substantial U-shape, said rods are connected at the outer ends by a cross-arm I3 to couple the rods for collective movement, at their inner ends engaging a plunger I4 which fits the interior wall of the vessel. I form said plunger as a single-thickness disk and, to secure the same relative to the rods, employ suitable means as, for example, rivets passed through foot elements II and I 2 of the ro-ds. In the illustrated arrangement, the foot elements are formed by a stamping operation applied following the introduction of the rods through the bearing branches 8 and 9.

The graduated markings which I indicate may be provided on one or both of the rods and denote the capacity of the vessel, as governed by the position of the plunger. 4

It is believed readily understood that the thumb of the operators hand is engaged over the horizontal cross-arm I3 and that a squeezing action applied to draw the cross-arm into abutting relation to the branch 8 provides an easy, rapid, and complete ejection of the measured contents of the vessel. The bearing arrangement which is provided acts mosteffectively both in guiding the plunger and preventing binding as between lthe rods and the supporting strap elements 8 and 9, additionally acting together with the close flt which is permitted between the vessel and the plunger to afford a frictional resistance against free movement of the plunger, the friction maintaining the plunger in its selected positions without, however, appreciable resisting slide movement of the plunger as pressure is applied to the cross-arm I3.

I intend that no limitations be implied in the interpretation given the claims excepting as such limitations are necessarily set forth in the claims to distinguish from the prior related art.

What I claim is:

l. An adjustable measuring cup comprised of a cylindrical vessel open at the top and bottom and having longitudinally spaced parallel members secured to the vessel to extend dametrically thereof at the lower end of the same, said members bein-g formed with openings arranged in related longitudinally aligned pairs adjacent the extermities of the members, a disk slidably f1tting the inner wall of the vessel, and a U-shaped rod having the parallel arms thereof slidably received through said openings and secured terminally to the disk for operating the disk, the crossarm of said rod and the lower of said body-supported cross members co-acting to provide a compressible handle by which the measured contents of the vessel are ejected.

2. An adjustable measuring cup comprising a cylindrical Vessel open at the top and bottom and having a xed member extending diametrically thereof at the lower end of the vessel, a disk slidably tting the inner wall of the vessel, and a U-shaped member havin-g the parallel arms thereof slidably supported by the diametrically supported cross member of the vessel and terminally secured to the disk for operating the disk, the cross-arm of said U-shaped member acting in conjunction with the body-supported cross member to provide a compressible handle by which the measured contents of the vessel may be ejected.

3. An adjustable measuring cup comprising a cylindrical vessel open at the top and bottom, a partition slidably fitting the inner Wall of the Vessel, a manually-actuated rod connected with the partition and extending therefrom longitudinally of the vessel to project from the bottom of the vessel, and means carried by the vessel and guidably supporting said rod, said means comprising co-acting bearing members extending across the lower end of the vessel and lying in spaced relation longitudinally thereof, the space between said bearings accommodating introduction of the ngers of the operator in compressing the exposed encl of the rod to expel the contents of the cup.

'4. An adjustable measuring cup comprising a plunger, a manually-actuated rod connected with the plunger, and a hollow vessel open at its top and bottom and slidably receiving said plunger, said vessel providing a rod guide extending across the bottom of the same on the approximate median line of the vessel and being cut away at each side thereof to facilitate the introduction of the lingers of the operator under the guide for compressing the exposed end of the rod to expel the contents of the vessel.

5. An adjustable measuring cup comprising a plunger, a U-shaped member the two legs of which are terminally connected with the plunger, a hollow open-top vessel receiving said plunger and slidably supporting the two legs of said U-member to have the cross arm thereof lie in projecting relation from the bottom of the vessel, and means between the vessel and the cross arm for engagement of the o'perators fingers to facilitate compression of the cross-arm for expelling the contents'of the vessel.

CHARLES RAYMOND OUELLETTE. 

